Nadal finally breaks Berrettini midway through the second, now up two sets. In good position to move on now if he can keep putting the grind to the Italian.
Medvedev in straight sets over Dimitrov. Nadal up a set thanks to a tiebreak as nobody has really figured out the other’s serve in his match.
Nadal finally breaks Berrettini midway through the second, now up two sets. In good position to move on now if he can keep putting the grind to the Italian.
I think it probably still would have been 3 sets to 1 for Nadal had he not pulled out that tiebreak, but still a really unfortunate few points for Berrettini, and hey, you never know... Against these top guys, there's just so little margin for error.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
I just tuned in while eating a late lunch. I looked up and noticed Andreescu had a chance to break Serena to win the first set.
Williams proceeded to double fault away the set, after which Andreescu held serve and forced a triple break point on her.
Williams doubt faulted again!
I cannot imagine the doubts she is battling right now, although she looks quite capable of breaking back.
Serena breaks back on a let ball. Wow. Tennis is crazy.
Let’s see if she can get her serve functioning.
Serena perked up a bit at the end, but not enough. At times today she looked more upset than she did in the throes of her battle with the umpire last year, if that's possible. That was a sideshow that, very unfairly, detracted from Osaka's convincing win. No such noise this year. Props to Andreescu for a spectacular victory capping a spectacular year. Serena looked terrific coming into this match, I didn't expect this, but Andreescu was something else.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
It's now 3-4 Nadal serving (in the fourth set). This last set and a half have been absolutely AMAZING. These 2 are just slugging it out. Incredible. Just can't imagine Daniil can pull it out, but never thought he'd come back in the 3rd after being a break down.
That shot by Medvedev to win the 4th set was a thing of pure beauty. Uncle Mo has switched sides.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
Medvedev had his chances. But you can't miss many of those in a match like this. Great championship, yet again, from Nadal.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
I was pulling for Rafa -- as an old veteran who continues to play a high level of tennis into his 30's, when so many others have retired. So, congratulations on a tough and well played match
Kindly,
sage
'But I could do with a little less "Stall-Ball" Nadal, as he tried to delay every point'
Sage Grouse
---------------------------------------
'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
I have grown more tolerant of Nadal over time and respect his talents, but his drama queen persona has always rubbed me the wrong way. I have always been a Federer guy. But I still consider myself fortunate to have seen all of them in their prime - I saw Nadal at the US Open a few years ago and it was an awesome experience.
It was a great enthusiastic crowd too....always is
WAs Vladimir there I wonder??....anyone see him???
I'm not sure "drama queen" is what I would use to describe Nadal. He's competitive and uber-intense on the court. But drama queen? He's also one of the most well-respected and well-liked players on tour.
I could see that argument being made about Djokovic (moreso in his earlier years), but about Nadal seems pretty surprising to me. Nadal is pretty monotone on the court. He does play very deliberately in between points, and he has some OCD-like quirks about his between-point routine. But I don't think I've ever seen much outside-of-the-point drama with him.
As for the match, it went from being a blowout to a thrilling back-and-forth battle and really entertaining. I was happy for Nadal: he is as tireless a worker and grinder as you'll see in tennis. Kind of the Wojo of the sport (only with way more talent). It's a shame that his effort has resulted in physical breakdown over the years, because when healthy he's phenomenal to watch.
It feels like we're getting close to a new generation of players moving up with Thiem, Medvedev and a few others knocking at the door. It's nice to see the "old" guys still winning for a little while longer.
Sage Grouse
---------------------------------------
'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013